A university professor has been sacked for plagiarizing a dissertation from another teacher.

Hu Xingrong, who worked at the Cheung Kong School of Journalism and Communication at Guangdong-based Shantou University, was dismissed after Zhang Zhi'an revealed on the Internet he had copied his work.

Hu, 46, who obtained a doctor's degree at Peking University, published an essay on the China Media Report, a Chinese-language publication featuring academic essays on media, in 2004.

But Zhang, who is currently studying in the Shanghai-based Fudan University, discovered early in October this year that Hu's essay had copied one of his own.

"Hu did not even identify my name in the essay, and I tried to contact him to ask him to make an apology," Zhang told China Daily yesterday.

According to Zhang, Hu later sent him an e-mail, claiming that it was just a simple mistake when writing the essay.

"Hu's apology was unacceptable and his essay was pirated, so I had to publicize his cheating on the Internet," Zhang said.

China Daily was yesterday unable to contact Hu for a comment.

However, Chen Wanying, an official with the Shantou University, said that Hu was sacked after he himself had made a demission proposal to the university.

Hu's dismissal has raised much concern toward academic cheating among local students and teachers.

"As a teacher, Hu should show honesty in academic studies, or how can he give the right instructions for us," said a student who identified his name as Leizi on an Internet forum.

Experts said some Chinese professors have been driven to cheat in academic writings in recent years because of the pressure on them to achieve promotion. Under the current academic system, teachers' promotion and students' graduation depend much on their essays.

(China Daily December 23, 2005)